More Cain Velasquez

Biography

Brown Pride: Cain is a first-generation American with a deep pride in his Mexican heritage. His father, Efrain, walked to the United States from Mexico and, after being turned away six times, was granted citizenship on his seventh attempt. Velasquez, the first Latino ever to win the world heavyweight title in any major combat sport, is fluent in Spanish and English. He says he inherited his work ethic from his father, who worked impossibly long hours picking lettuce without complaint.

Contact Sports: Velasquez was a standout wrestler at Kofa High School in Yuma, Arizona, where he compiled a 110-10 record while serving as captain of both the wrestling and football teams. He went on to wrestle at Arizona State and placed inside the national top five two years in a row. Velasquez made the decision to transition to MMA after graduation.

League of His Own: Cain’s reputation as a relentless terminator in the gyms and early career victories made it impossible for his management to find willing opponents. The predicament forced Velasquez to jump to the UFC level in only his third fight following a debut in Strikeforce. He dominated the competition, remaining undefeated, all the way to destroying Brock Lesnar for the UFC title in October 2010.

Setback Sets Up Comeback: Velasquez suffered a serious knee injury against Lesnar which not only kept him out for a year but also contributed to his loss to Junior Dos Santos in the first ever UFC on FOX event in November 2011. But Velasquez returned the following May to defeat “Bigfoot” Silva in one round then routed Dos Santos in their rematch to re-capture the title. Another quick win over Bigfoot set up a rubber match against Dos Santos.

THE Most: Velasquez already has a strong claim to being one of the best heavyweights ever as a two-time and reigning UFC champion. He has already set UFC benchmarks with the most knockouts in heavyweight history (8), most heavyweight takedowns in a career (27) and in a single fight (11). Velasquez also lands 6.5 significant strikes per minute – the highest rate in UFC history (min 5 fights) – while only absorbing just 1.6 significant strikes per minute, the best rate among active heavyweights. His +4.9 strike differential is highest in UFC history.

Good Company: After earning a degree in education from Arizona State, Velasquez and fellow teammates Ryan Bader and CB Dollaway decided to get into MMA. Velasquez went on to train with future champion Lyoto Machida before Machida’s win over Tito Ortiz. From there, Velasquez joined American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), one of the poineering schools of mixed martial arts. Notable fighters include Daniel Cormier, Jon Fitch, Gray Maynard, Frank Shamrock, Josh Thomson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

What It’s Worth: Cain Velasquez is not only a two-time and current UFC heavyweight champion, but he is also a two-time All-American in wrestling, a two-time Pac-10 champion, a junior college national champion for Iowa Central Community College, and recently earned his black belt in Brazilian jui-jitsu.